Brass serpentine. Independent production of a coil

The design of the moonshine still requires a number of connections. For example -, or dry steamer -. For such connections, silicone hoses are usually used, or tubes for moonshine made of stainless steel or copper. Let's start from the very simple option- from flexible silicone hose.

Silicone hoses for moonshine

The first thing to do if you decide to go this route is to make sure that you are using silicone hose and not its PVC counterpart. The fact is that even sellers in the construction market can unknowingly mislead you, because. they don't understand the difference. Food (medical) silicone is softer and more elastic, resistant to temperature effects (at least in the range in which it will work alcohol mashine) and does not interact with alcohol and other delights released during the distillation of mash.

In the case of using PVC or rubber hoses, you run the risk of getting the final product with such a flavor that it will be simply unrealistic to use it for its intended purpose! People who know and have lived compare the aftertaste of such moonshine with the aftertaste after using BF glue - “as if chewing rubber.” In order not to get into such a situation, buy silicone hoses either in medical equipment stores, or, if it happens on the construction market, conduct a simple experiment - try setting fire to the tip of the hose with a lighter. Silicone practically does not burn, and as a result of interaction with an open flame, dense ash forms on the edge of the tube white color. PVC burns with a characteristic soot emission, and black ash and soot remain. The cost differs by about two times (silicone is more expensive). To connect the various parts of the moonshine still with a silicone hose, they will have to be equipped with drives to the appropriate diameter.

To do this, a hole of the appropriate diameter is drilled in the lid of the distillation cube (or a dry steamer, for example), a drive is inserted with a thread, and twisted on the other side. The connection is pre-coated with a heat-resistant sealant.

Tubes for moonshine

Also, metal tubes are used to connect the parts of the apparatus - copper or stainless steel. Stainless steel is a more expensive material, more difficult to process, so let's consider this type of connection using copper tubes as an example.
Copper pipes of different diameters are actively used both in plumbing and in the installation of air conditioners. Therefore, finding tubes for a moonshine still of the diameter you need will not be difficult.

In fact, there are two options for connecting copper pipes, the first is soldering. Not the best option, as it turns out a rigid one-piece design. The second one would be more appropriate - a threaded connection using fittings.

Fittings are usually made of brass or bronze. The tightness is achieved by means of a ferrule in the fitting. In order to connect the copper tube in this way, you only need to apply a small force when tightening the nut. Such connections are designed for operation in heating systems, so the temperature and pressure in the moonshine will withstand without any problems even after numerous assemblies and disassemblies.

When choosing a coil for a moonshine still, most of us wonder if it is possible to make it with our own hands? There is a lot of information on the Internet about this. Almost all authors claim that it will not be difficult for anyone to make a part for a household distillation system with their own hands. Is it so simple - let's figure it out together.

1

Many craftsmen are more than once faced with the need to choose the optimal material for creating a cooling element with their own hands. Experienced manufacturers advise using copper tubes, others prefer exclusively glass parts. One way or another, the choice should always be made based on the properties of the material and bandwidth distillation system.

The material must have such qualities as accessibility to processing, practicality in use and, most importantly, inertness.

Material for the moonshine coil

If you make a part from a material that reacts with alcohols and fusel oils, then in the end there will be a risk not only to lose the coil itself, but also to get severe poisoning. In addition, it is very important to take a material with a high degree of thermal conductivity. The rate of condensation of moonshine vapors, and hence the performance of the entire system, depends on this indicator. If you choose from raw materials that have all of the above qualities, then your preference should be given to such materials:

• copper pipes;
• food stainless steel;
• metal-plastic pipes;
• laboratory glass.

Now consider the properties of each of these materials. Copper tubing is the most popular choice for coils. This metal has a high thermal conductivity, it is very soft, making it easy to bend and twist into a spiral. To bend a copper tube into the desired shape, it must first be heated. Special attention should be given to the thickness of the product. It is of great importance, since the bending radius of the spiral should not be less than three nominal diameters of the copper product. Despite all its merits, copper cannot be called ideal material for coil design. The fact is that this substance is not chemically inert, that is, it is able to react with other substances. And although copper parts do not respond to impact fusel oils They are strongly affected by oxygen. Upon contact with metal, it forms a thin layer of copper oxide on the surface of the latter, which gets into homemade alcohol.

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2

What else can you make a cooler out of? Of course, from the well-known stainless steel. This metal is also an excellent conductor of heat and does not react with chemicals in any way. However, it is sometimes extremely difficult to bend a corrugated stainless steel tube of even a small diameter without additional devices. If you plan to create a coil from this metal, then you will need to stock up on at least a pipe bender or a special radial template. Another disadvantage of a homemade stainless steel cooler is its big weight. Therefore, before making a cooling element from this material, it will be necessary to prepare reliable supports for it.

Another option is a glass coil. This material is used to create a cooler least often. The reason for this is the inability to bend tubes of any diameter with your own hands. To do this, you will need to visit a glass blowing workshop, which entails extra costs. Another disadvantage of the glass element: for connection with others, it is impossible to make a thread on the glass or tighten the product with a tight clamp. Despite all these shortcomings, many experts prefer the use of a glass cooler due to the fact that it helps to overtake moonshine. High Quality no odor or aftertaste.

Glass serpentine

AND last option- this is the manufacture of a coil from metal-plastic tubes of small diameter. Making a part from this material with your own hands is very simple, it can be easily bent. In addition, no matter what company the pipes are from, the price for them always remains very low. Metal-plastic products can be considered chemically neutral, they are not affected by any of the solvents. The disadvantages of such tubes include excessive elasticity. Because of this, the coil practically does not hold the desired shape. However, solving this problem is quite simple - it is worth making a special frame for the cooler based on the diameter of the tubes.

From what to create a cooler for a distillation system with your own hands - you decide. However, no matter what material you prefer, carefully study its advantages and disadvantages. So you will avoid trouble in the future and will be able to enjoy exceptionally clean and delicious homemade or barley.

3

To create a coil at home, you need to stock up on a tube with a diameter of no more than 13 mm. The length of the product should not be less than 1.5 m. It is best to use a two-meter tube, which, in which case, can be shortened. Next, you need to prepare the product for bending and twisting. To do this, fill it with wet sand and close both sides with corks. After that, it is necessary to bring the tube to a vertical position and knock on it several times. This will help move the sand and place it in maximum amount filler. The role of the mandrel for bending can be played by any steel pipe with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the tube for the coil. Next, we clamp the pipe and wind our workpiece for the cooler on it. Particular attention in the manufacturing process of the part should be given to the turns. As practice shows, the more of them, the more efficient the process of cooling the drink will be. However, too a large number of turns is also bad for distillation time, as the vapors have to travel a large area before they begin to condense. It is best to make 4 full turns for every 50 cm of coil.

Making part turns

Do not forget that stainless steel blanks must be heated. Otherwise, it will not only be very difficult to bend them with your own hands, but there will also be a risk of damaging or breaking the product. The heating temperature is also worth paying attention to. It should not be very high, otherwise it will damage the metal, and it will not last so long. It will be better if you hold the tube over the gas burner for no more than 10-15 minutes.

4 Repair of malfunctions of a homemade coil

When making a cooler with your own hands, it is worth preparing for the fact that sooner or later it will fail. Moreover, this happens much more often than with items bought in a store. The reason for this lies in the banal irresponsibility of most craftsmen.

The most common mistake many novice moonshiners make is the unreliable fastening of the coil in the design of the refrigeration system. If the cooler is made of metal or metal-plastic tubes, then solving the problem is very simple - stop the distillation process and replace the fasteners. But if the fasteners break in the glass coil, the consequences can be irreparable. In order to effectively solve the problem, first of all, it is necessary to notice it in time. If you succeeded, then for a quick repair you need to use small nails, pre-curved into hooks, and carefully insert them in place of the broken latches. Of course, the nails will need to be prepared in advance. After that, it is necessary to gradually lower the rate of heating of the distillation vessel until the burner is completely turned off. Next, you need to wait for the device to cool down, dismantle the coil and repair its fasteners.

Another common problem is coil leakage. It is very easy to notice a malfunction - a pungent smell will appear in the room, which will be emitted by moonshine vapors. To fix the breakdown with your own hands, you need to find holes through which vapors leak. To do this, you need to completely stop the operation of the moonshine still, then take a towel and slowly draw it along the spiral of the coil. As soon as the towel is near the hole formed, it will begin to absorb moisture and get wet. Next, you need to take a sealant and process a hole in the coil with it.

As you can see, there should not be any special problems in repairing the cooler with your own hands. The main thing is to identify the problem in time and be able to navigate in its solution.

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One of the stages of the distillation process is the condensation of alcohol vapors. To make this stage faster, a coil for moonshine is used. This is a special chamber that is cooled from the outside. Passing through it, volatile substances pass into the liquid phase - droplets of moonshine are formed, which then fall into the tank. There are other designs of heat exchangers, but the spiral is the most efficient and easiest cooling method to implement.

Types of heat exchangers

The main purpose of the coil for moonshine or other equipment (oil distillation, refrigeration) is to transmit temperature external environment vapor or liquid inside the chamber (or vice versa). And in this respect, the spiral design in our case is the most advantageous in terms of energy consumption.

The Weigel-Liebig refrigerator has too little cooling area. Sectional and plate models are bulky and difficult to implement at home, since welding will be required to assemble them. The best and most used in distilleries is the Graham heat exchanger.

Schemes of the simplest heat exchangers of various types.

Models: a - Weigel-Liebig (aka "pipe in a pipe"); b - ball Allina A.G.; c - R. Vesta; Mr. O. Dimrota; d - T. Graham; e - Friedrichs; g - tangential.

If you are assembling equipment for distillation or distillation of moonshine on your own, then a home-made spiral-type cooler will the best choice. It can be quickly made from available materials without the use of hot soldering.

We make an elementary coil-type cooler

The simplest refrigerator for a moonshine still is a stainless steel or copper coil. These materials are preferred because they have high thermal conductivity. In addition, they do not react with substances evaporating from the mash (alcohols, acids, aldehydes, and others).

For the construction we need copper tube for winding (with sand inside) about 2 meters long and an axis. As an axis, you can use any rigid cylinder, a stick of a suitable diameter.

1. We wind the tube onto the axis, so that we get a spiral with a certain step (the gap between the turns).
2. We remove the spiral from the axis.
3. We connect one end of the coil to the tube that removes steam from the distillation cube, the second to the one leading to the tank.

Moonshine still with coil-type air cooler

We received an elementary air-cooled cooler without a casing. These structures were used by our ancestors for many centuries. But since our goal is the efficient distillation of moonshine, it is better to make the coil submersible with water cooling.

We make a heat exchanger with flow cooling

Since the coil-type immersion heat exchanger connected to running water supply can be considered optimal for a good selection rate of moonshine, we will collect it. Its scheme is quite simple.

Scheme of a submersible flow cooler

We will need:

• container (any with sealed lid), into which the finished coil will be immersed (of any configuration, the main thing is that the spiral fits into it);
• copper tube for winding - 1.5–2 meters (outer diameter about 10 mm, inner diameter about 1.2 mm);
• cylindrical axis for winding (steel cylinder, household inventory handle with a diameter of at least 50 mm);
• tubes for a moonshine still to ensure the supply of cold and the removal of waste warm water;
• sealant.

Assembly steps

1. We make a plug on one side of the tube. After that, we fill it with sand - so it will not flatten when winding. We make a second temporary plug on the other side.
2. We wind the main work item - the spiral - around the object selected as the axis. We take off the tube, remove the plugs, pour out the sand - the copper coil is ready.
3. In the lower and upper parts of the side surface of the container we make holes for the supply / drainage of water.
4. We insert tubes into the water holes (in the lower one - for connecting to cold water, in the upper one - to hot).
5. Seals the joints of pipes and containers (coil casing).
6. In the lower part (bottom) and in the upper part (lid) of the container we make holes for the tubes coming from the spiral. We lower the coil into the container, thread its ends into the holes, close and seal the lid.
7. We seal the connections of the ends of the coil with the tank.
8. We are connected to the moonshine still. In the upper part - to the tube coming from the distillation cube, in the lower part - to the tube leading to the tank. We check the tightness of the joints.

There are simpler designs, but this one is considered the most convenient and productive.

What should be the material for the coil

If you decide what to make a coil for a moonshine still, then probably the main question for you is what material to take for the spiral. It must have the following characteristics:

• complete or relative inertness to the products of mash evaporation;
• durability (minimal thinning during operation);
• strength (useful for assembly and disassembly);
• good thermal conductivity.

These requirements are almost completely met by a number of materials. But before you calculate the design - find the optimal length of the tube, you should choose what suits you.

Other requirements are imposed on the container for immersing the spiral, because ordinary water will flow through it. cold water. Yes and nutritional properties we are not interested in the material.

Materials for coil-type refrigerators

• Silver. The thermal conductivity coefficient (λ) is 430 W/m*K. The compounds formed as a result of exposure to vapors are not hazardous to health. The disadvantage is the high price.
• Copper, λ=400 W/m*K. Some of the compounds may be unsafe for health. The coil will require careful maintenance.
• Aluminum, λ=220 W/m*K. Relatively brittle material. When reacting with vapors, alcoholates will be formed. They accumulate in the body and adversely affect health.
• Brass, λ approx. 100 W/m*K. Needs to be tinned before use.
• Stainless steel, λ about 20 W/m*K.
• Glass, λ=1.1 W/m*K. The glass coil for moonshine is very affordable, but extremely fragile.

The use of copper and stainless steel for the coil is considered the best choice.

It is extremely difficult to independently carry out calculations on the recommended length of the coil tube. Need to know not only the thermal conductivity coefficients of different media (tank material, coil, water, steam), but also the rate of water supply to the cooler casing, the volume of distillate per minute passing through the section of the coil. So it is better to use someone else's experience.

If a stainless steel tube (D = 12 mm, wall 1 mm thick) is used, then 1.5 meters of such material will be sufficient for sufficient cooling of the distillate at the outlet. In this case, the condensation rate will be 3-4 liters / hour.

Summarizing

All nodes, including the coil for the moonshine still, can be made by hand. It is best to use a stainless steel or copper tube as the material for the spiral. The best way cooling - water through the outer casing of the spiral. Special skills for the production of this "spare part" for moonshine equipment are not required.

On this page we will consider the principles of operation of a serpentine refrigerator for moonshine. The serpentine is the heart of the moonshine still!

It largely determines the performance of the moonshine still.

Why is it needed and what functions does it perform in? In the coil (Graham's refrigerator, if scientifically) vapors condense and the condensed moonshine is cooled due to heat removal through the walls of the coil with cooling water (less often air). Moonshine vapors entering the coil, contact with its walls, cool and condense, flow down in the form of moonshine into the prepared container. The coil has a number of characteristics that significantly affect the performance of the moonshine still. These are primarily the geometric dimensions of the coil:
- the length of the coil, the longer the coil - the greater its hydraulic resistance, but also the greater the area of ​​contact with the cooling water. Just in case, I will clarify that it is the length of the tube from which the coil is wound, and not the length of the coiled coil, that is meant.
- cross-section of the coil tube, the larger it is, the lower the hydraulic resistance of the coil and the greater the contact area with one length of the coil.
- wall thickness of the coil tube, the thinner - the higher the thermal conductivity, but lower strength and ease of processing.

Although, in fact, the thermal conductivity depends very little on the thickness due to the layer effect - a sharp decrease in thermal conductivity at the boundary of two media.
Another equally important parameter is the material from which the coil is made. A very important factor. First of all, the material should not be toxic and form compounds with alcohol. Secondly, it must have sufficient thermal conductivity so that moonshine and its vapors have time to condense and cool. Here are the thermal conductivity of the most suitable materials in terms of their non-toxicity:

Silver 429 W/(m K)
- copper 382-390 W/(m K)
- aluminum 202-236 W/(m K)
- brass 97-111 W/(m K)
- stainless steel about 20W/(mK)
- glass 1-1.15 W/(m K)

Next is availability. The most accessible tubes are made of aluminum (for example, from old baguettes), copper (from old refrigerators in workshops for their repair). It will be more difficult with stainless steel, although this is for someone. Silver is kind of expensive. A glass refrigerator can be bought at a chemical glassware store, but it all depends on the availability of such a store in your city.

Thus, copper is the most advantageous material due to its high thermal conductivity. In practice, we will not get a 19-fold reduction in the area of ​​the copper coil in relation to the stainless steel coil (that is how many times the stainless steel conducts heat worse than copper). This is due to the formation of surface layers of liquid and gas on the coil, which seriously (tens of times) reduce the thermal conductivity of the coil. But a 2-3-fold gain in length when using copper against stainless steel is quite possible. Much depends on the nature of the flows inside and outside the coil. If possible, they should be swirled somehow, creating turbulence. Although in most cases a well-made coil already provides almost a five-fold margin for thermal conductivity.
Regarding the toxicity of copper and stainless steel - here the opinions of hardened "moonshine" diverge. Personally, I prefer copper due to its greater thermal conductivity and ease of processing. The non-toxicity of copper compounds with moonshine can be judged at least by the fact that the French have their cognac and many others noble drinks driven in exactly in copper stills- alambiks, the closest relatives of our moonshine stills. But stainless steel - the material for the coil of a moonshine still is not unambiguous. There are a lot of grades, during processing (especially welding), the composition of steel undergoes changes, and how this changed composition will react with moonshine is not known. In addition, copper is an essential trace element, and WHO believes that a lack of copper in the body is much more dangerous than its excess.
The next serious characteristic is the orientation of the coil in space. It can be vertical, horizontal and inclined.

In our business, it is very desirable to place the coil exactly vertically - this way the moonshine will drain by gravity and will not create additional resistance to the movement of steam, accumulating in the hollows. During the winding process, the formation of “knees” in the coil should be avoided, in which condensed moonshine could accumulate.
The vertical coil, in turn, can be ascending and descending - that is, steam enters from the bottom to the top or from the top to the bottom. In moonshine brewing, it is very important to use the coil in descending mode, that is, to supply steam from the moonshine still from above, and the condensed moonshine will not create additional steam resistance. And even with such a movement of steam and the supply of cooling water from the bottom up, the convection of water will play into our hands, but more on that below.

The next serious parameter is the mode of movement of the coolant. That is, whether the coil works on running water, or whether an excess amount of water is immediately poured into its casing, which, taking heat from the moonshine, gradually heats up.

The coil for moonshine is an integral part of it. In the coil, the vapors of the alcohol-containing liquid condense, and both the performance of the apparatus and the quality depend on its normal operation.

Purpose of the device

The moonshine process is distillation. It consists of two main stages:

• evaporation;
• condensation.

The evaporator in the design of the apparatus is a distillation cube. It is poured inside, after which the cube is heated with the help of heating elements or on fire. The alcohol contained in Braga has more low temperature boiling, so it begins to evaporate before water. Alcohol vapors enter the coil, which is connected by a sealed tube to alembic. In such a mash distillation scheme, the coil is a refrigerator, and the alcohol vapor is cooled and condensed in it. The condensate, or distillate, is collected in a separate container.

Making a coil for a moonshine with your own hands is not particularly difficult. IN classical form is a copper tube twisted into a spiral and placed in a tank with cold water. Designs, materials and versions of coils can be different, the main thing is that they cope with their immediate task, i.e. vapors of the alcohol-containing liquid were cooled as efficiently as possible.

The best materials

Alcohol vapor heated to high temperature, are an aggressive medium, since alcohol is a strong solvent. Therefore, for the manufacture of the cooler, it is necessary to use materials that are resistant to such harmful effects. Best suited for this purpose:

• copper;
• stainless steel;
• glass.

Copper coil is the easiest to manufacture. It is made from a tube with a diameter of 8-10 mm, which is coiled in 5-6 turns and placed vertically in a tank of water. Such a scheme will allow the condensate to drain by gravity.

A stainless steel cooler coil is more difficult to make just because stainless steel is a tougher material than copper. It bends badly, there is a high risk of jamming or breaking the tube. In addition, soldering it is much more difficult. It is preferable to use stainless steel in the manufacture of once-through refrigerators.

Do-it-yourself glass serpentine will not work, unless the master has the capabilities of a glass blower. Therefore, if glass is used, then it is more expedient to take a laboratory ball or spiral refrigerator as a cooler. In addition to absolute inertness to alcohol vapor, a glass distiller allows you to observe the process of vapor condensation.

Coil Manufacturing Technology

Before you make a refrigerator for moonshine with a spiral coil, you need to determine what its design will be. It should be selected depending on the availability of water and the possibility of its connection. If it is not possible to connect running water to the cooler, its dimensions must be increased in order to ensure high-quality cooling and steam condensation.

With absence running water it is easiest to make a cooler for a moonshine with your own hands from a tank with a capacity of 25-30 liters and a copper tube. It is wound with a spiral, slightly smaller in size than the inner diameter of the tank. The outlet of the coil tube is made at the bottom through the tank wall, the hole at the outlet is sealed.

During the operation of the device, the tank is filled with cold water. During the distillation, the temperature of the water in the tank will rise, this will reduce the cooling efficiency. Therefore, the water from the tank will need to be periodically removed, adding cold water instead.

If it is possible to connect running water, it is better to make the refrigerator as compact as possible. In this case, the coil coil can be wound with smaller diameter and denser coils, which will not affect the quality of cooling. For a cooling jacket, you can use, for example, a piece of polyethylene plumbing pipe.

Let's consider how to make a coil for a moonshine still with a flow-through refrigerator. For winding the coil, a copper tube with a diameter of 10-12 mm and a thickness of 1 mm is suitable, it will take approximately 1.5-2 m. The spiral must be wound on a mandrel with a diameter of 20 mm, leaving a gap between the turns of 3-5 mm. At both ends of the spiral, you need to leave straight sections of the tube 60-80 mm. Now you can take a piece of polyethylene plumbing pipe with a diameter of 55 mm. Its length is selected in such a way that the coil is completely in the pipe, and the spiral tubes come out.

From the ends of the cooler pipe is closed with plugs. Holes are made in them according to the diameter of the coil. To supply running water, two fittings cut into the ends of the cooling jacket. It is also possible to make a cooler for such a design from a stainless tube, but it is much more difficult to wind a stainless steel, and especially a thin-walled one.

Which is better - a coil or a straight-through

There is no single answer to the question of which coil design is better, spiral or direct-flow. The direct flow is good because its steam resistance is less than that of a spiral cooler, especially with a small bore diameter.

A spiral coil, and especially a horizontally or inclined one, due to steam-water plugs, creates pressure fluctuations in the system, which can lead to a sharp foaming of the mash and throwing it into the refrigerator. The resistance of the spiral cooler increases the pressure inside the distillation cube, and this leads to an increase in temperature and increased evaporation of not only water, but also heavy fractions, which degrades the quality and strength of the final product.

The once-through cooler is devoid of these shortcomings. It practically does not create counterpressure and avoids the sharp foaming of the mash. With all the advantages, a direct-flow refrigerator for a moonshine still has a significant drawback - dimensions.

To ensure effective cooling, the refrigerator must be either long or thick due to the fact that the steam passes through several parallel tubes. However, such a refrigerator is much more difficult to manufacture, since the design must be able to separate the vapor flow through the cooler tubes, and then collect the condensate again in one tube.

Stainless tubes for the moonshine still, which are traditionally used to make the cooler, are difficult to solder, the processing of stainless steel causes many problems due to its rigidity. Weld such a straight line without special equipment and materials is not possible. With your own hands, it is easier to make a moonshine still with a copper tube coil.

Distillation without refrigeration

Manufacturing of coils - difficult process. When distilling, you can do without a cooler. The distillation process is a continuous heat and mass transfer, and the steam evaporated in the distillation cube carries with it a certain amount of thermal energy. It must give up this heat in order to condense and turn into a liquid. In order for the steam to be able to give off heat and condense, the distillation device must have a long direct-flow refrigerator, which would have time to remove heat to the surrounding air. Such a scheme is feasible, for example, if you place a refrigerator outside the window, and do the distillation in winter.